Chapter 14

A sharp pain shot through her palm, but Su Qingluo had no time to worry about it—she scrambled to her feet. Almost at the exact moment, the door was suddenly locked from the outside. She gritted her teeth and pounded on the door, shouting, but no one responded.

Carefully, she pressed herself against the wall and surveyed the room. It faced north—cold and damp. The strange scent in the air was laced with mildew. It didn’t resemble a proper guest room at all. Was Princess Yuyang behind this? But why? She had never even met the princess. Or perhaps someone was using Princess Yuyang’s name to trap her.

The most urgent matter now was figuring out how to escape.

Su Qingluo rushed to one of the windows and pushed hard. As expected, it was nailed shut. There was another window. Clinging to her last hope, she ran to it—and it opened!

But the moment it swung outward, despair gripped her again. Beneath the window was a cliff. Not bottomless, but jumping would surely mean death.

Even more terrifying, she began to feel something was wrong with her body. Heat surged through her, and her legs grew weak. Just then, she heard voices outside.

The young nun from earlier said, “Be careful.”

A man replied with a sleazy tone, “Don’t worry. I never miss. Once the rice is cooked…”

Su Qingluo instantly realized what kind of drug was in the room. Cold sweat broke out all over her body. She gritted her teeth, pulled the hairpin from her head, and stabbed it into her arm. She had to escape—if not, her life would be ruined.

She heard the sound of the door latch slowly being undone.

Without hesitation, Su Qingluo stripped off her outer skirt and threw it out the window. The pale yellow garment landed perfectly on a tree below, conspicuous and eye-catching.

Then, summoning all her strength, she clung to the window frame and quickly climbed out, carefully placing her feet on the soft earthen ledge beneath the window. She edged to the side and crouched in the shadow of the large tree.

At that moment, the man pushed open the door, his voice chilling: “Apologies for keeping you waiting, miss. That was my fault.” He paused. “Where is she?”

“Little lady, where are you hiding?” He pulled back the bed curtains.

“I see you—there you are!” the man called out, reaching under the bed.

The room was only so big. How could a living person simply vanish?

His face darkened. Suddenly, he shoved the window open.

Su Qingluo’s heart leapt into her throat. She clung tightly to the farthest corner of the windowsill, the pain in her pale fingertips sharp and piercing—but she didn’t dare move.

The man spotted the pale yellow skirt hanging from the tree and cursed, “What kind of job did that little nun do? She jumped out the window!”

With that, he stormed off in a fury.

Su Qingluo exhaled in relief and tried to stand, only for her back to be slashed by a thorny branch—a sharp pain shot through her. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Then she heard footsteps inside again and quickly crouched back down to hide.

The nun saw the skirt and groaned in frustration. “How was I supposed to know she’d jump out the window? She really is a chaste and fierce one. Fine—take some men down there to search. Even if she’s dead, finding the body will earn us a reward.”

“That little reward is nothing compared to a dowry of three hundred thousand taels,” the man scoffed, still furious as he left again.

Su Qingluo waited a while longer, afraid they might return. Only after confirming they were gone did she rise again. Her back was soaked in sweat, stinging as it seeped into the wound. She ignored the pain and climbed back up to the window.

Her strength was nearly gone, and the strange scent still wafted from the room. Her legs buckled, and she nearly fell, but she grabbed the windowsill just in time. The soil beneath her feet crumbled and fell, landing heavily on the pale yellow skirt below.

The sky was growing darker. The skirt, once bright and eye-catching, was now dulled by shadows from the tree, losing its vivid color.

Su Qingluo knew she couldn’t delay any longer. She climbed back into the room and collapsed onto the cold floor. The scent inside was even stronger now, lingering despite the open window. The strange sensation in her body, which had briefly subsided, surged back with renewed intensity. She looked down—her outer skirt was gone, and her white trousers were stained with dirt and rusty blood. If she went out in such a disheveled condition and ran into someone, her reputation would be utterly ruined.

But that scent…

She made a swift decision—she couldn’t stay in that room any longer. Slowly rising to her feet, she peeked outside. Seeing no one around, she immediately bolted. She could no longer recall the path she’d taken to get there, but right now, the most important thing was to find another room and report to Madam Qian through one of the temple’s senior nuns.

A gust of wind swept through the mountains, and soon a drizzle began to fall, quickly soaking the ground.

Su Qingluo followed a narrow path deeper into the woods, but to her surprise, she didn’t encounter a single person. In fact, it felt like she was heading somewhere increasingly remote.

Up ahead was a dense bamboo grove, its greenery especially vivid in the rain.

Sensing something was off, she turned back. After walking a short distance, she suddenly heard a fierce voice shout, “Go call more people to search!”

Startled, she spun around and dashed into the cold, shadowy bamboo forest.

Mist hung low. Within the grove stood a bamboo hut, its windows glowing faintly with candlelight.

At this point, she had no other choice. Dragging her exhausted body forward, she approached. She had barely taken two steps when a dark figure dropped from above. A flash of steel—and a cold sword was pressed against her throat.

“Who are you?” The man was dressed in black, his tone sharp and commanding.

Su Qingluo trembled all over, just about to speak when the bamboo door creaked open. She turned her head—and met a pair of deep, cold eyes she knew all too well.

“You?”

Lu Hengzhi? She hadn’t expected to see him here, but relief flooded her instantly.

Dressed in a pale moon-colored robe, Lu Hengzhi strode forward and pulled her into his arms.

The sword was still at her neck.

Lu Hengzhi’s voice was icy: “She’s from my household.”

Su Qingluo couldn’t help but shiver slightly. Only then did the black-clad man withdraw his blade, sheathe it, and vanish into the bamboo forest.

Lu Hengzhi finally looked down at her, his voice low: “How did you end up like this?”

Her face was flushed, her clothes disheveled. Her outer skirt was gone, and her white trousers were stained with dirt and blood, the marks nearly indistinguishable. At his words, tears welled up in her eyes.

Lu Hengzhi carried her into the bamboo hut.

A lazy voice rang out: “Did I see that right, Hengzhi? You actually brought a woman in here?”

Only then did Su Qingluo realize there was someone else inside.

The Sixth Prince, Xie Tingyu, had been sipping tea. Now he leaned forward, his tone teasing: “Even my royal sister couldn’t catch your eye. I’m curious what this girl has that’s so special.”

Lu Hengzhi ignored him. But he suddenly noticed Su Qingluo’s hand clutching his arm, her grip tightening, her breathing growing heavier. Then he saw the wound on her back—blood nearly dried.

A flash of cold light flickered in his eyes.

Behind him, Xie Tingyu spoke again: “Her injuries look serious, but they’re not life-threatening. No need to worry, Hengzhi. However—”

Lu Hengzhi’s voice was frosty: “However what?”

“You didn’t notice? She’s been drugged with an aphrodisiac.”

Xie Tingyu had seen such schemes often in the palace.

Lu Hengzhi paused slightly.

Su Qingluo was so ashamed and furious that she wished she could disappear into the floor.

Lu Hengzhi had always been cold and restrained, noble and distant. It was rare to see him caught in such a compromising situation.

Xie Tingyu wore a smug, amused expression. “Since you know her, why not help her out?” He paused. “Then again, you’ve always kept your distance from women. If you’re unwilling, I wouldn’t mind stepping in…”

“Get out,” Lu Hengzhi said coldly.

Moments later, only the two of them remained in the bamboo hut.

Without a word, Lu Hengzhi gently placed Su Qingluo on the bed, careful not to hurt her.

Su Qingluo bit her lip hard, but she could feel her remaining clarity slipping away, bit by bit.